Newport Creamery050

Some states have a state bird, a state flower, a state dance; Rhode Island has a state ice cream parlor. Of course, Newport Creamery is a whole lot more than just sundaes and ice cream cones; Ocean Staters come here for cheeseburgers done the Creamery Way (basically a grilled cheese sandwich with a burger slipped in), English muffins that never taste the same anywhere else, and all the great sandwiches, salads, and fried food that one would expect from a classic, old-fashioned coffee shop.

The ice cream is the stuff we all grew up on, with a list of old and new flavors that grows all the time. These days, the Creamery even dishes up frozen yogurt. The guilty pleasure that none of us can resist, though, is the Awful Awful (awful big, awful good); everyone knows that the fourth one is free to anyone who can manage to drink three of them, but few have actually met someone who's done it.

Kids particularly love the Cowlick Cones, which are dipped in chocolate and nuts until they get a hard shell - perfect for limiting the drip factor. Non-locals should know that chocolate sprinkles are called jimmies; milk shakes are called cabinets, and chocolate or strawberry milk is called a milk shake. Most locations keep a walk-up window open in summer for the neighborhood kids to get quicker access.